| ||
| Vol. 20, No. 19 |
| October 15, 1998 |
|
Defribillator at Heart of AHA Corporate Effort The American Heart Association (AHA) is spearheading an initiative to increase awareness about the automatic external defibrillator (AED), a device used to restart a stopped heart, and the need for public access to such life-saving equipment.
Betty Yoder, 54, can speak firsthand about the benefits of an AED. Emergency personnel used the device to revive her stopped heart after she went into cardiac arrest while gardening. Yoder was one of several panel members discussing public use of AEDs at a recent American Heart Association workshop for Houston business representatives. Panel members offering various perspectives discussed the placement of AEDs in the community, particularly in office buildings, sports venues, and airports, where large numbers of people congregate. All Houston fire units have been equipped with AEDs since 1991. Since that time, technology has developed so that AEDs are now lighter in weight and easier to use. "We believe that from an EMS standpoint, by utilizing the firefighters, the fire trucks, and the ambulances the way we have, we have done everything we can to get a defibrillator to the patient as soon as possible," said Dr. David Persse, City of Houston EMS medical director. "The next step is to put it in the hands of the people that are right there with the patient. "The whole reason we are entertaining the idea that the public can operate these is that this new second generation of devices is so much easier to use with very little training required," said Dr. Persse, a participant on the panel. In Houston, the American Heart Association has a corporate goal of at least one unit per office building, or one unit for every 1,000 employees. AEDs average between $3,000 and $4,000 for a basic unit, are only available by prescription and each business must have a medical director to obtain one. The American Heart Association or the manufacturer of the device can recommend a medical director for those businesses who do not have one. Dr. Paul Sirbaugh, assistant medical director, City of Houston EMS, and director of EMS at Texas Children's Hospital, discussed the need for training a designated person on each work shift and the importance of placing the device in a centralized location in the office building. The designated operator should be re-trained every six months in both the use of the AED and in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) , said Dr. Sirbaugh. Will it be like an episode of "ER" in the board room? No. Here's how it works: the trained operator attaches the adhesive pads to the patient, turns the device on and waits for verbal instructions from a computerized voice. The AED then takes a reading of the patient's heart rhythm and, if necessary, instructs the operator to push a button which shocks the heart. The device then assesses the heart rhythm again and may proceed with a second shock. Other instructions may follow depending on the situation. It is not possible to over-shock someone because the machine determines the level of shock, if a shock is even necessary. According to Dr. Sirbaugh, the AEDs are only recommended for people who weigh over 90 pounds because the power of the shock is too intense for a child. The American Heart Association estimates that each year sudden cardiac death claims at least 250,000 lives in the United States. Each minute defibrillation is delayed, the chances of survival decrease by 10 percent. AEDs are not meant to replace CPR, but act as another link in the "chain of survival" - which consists of dialing 9-1-1, early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced care. A CPR mass training will take place at the Astrodome on November 1 for both adult and child/infant CPR. The AED will be demonstrated at the training. For more information or to register, call 713-225-4CPR. - KRISTINA VAN ARSDEL
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmc-info@tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/10_15_98/page_10.html |
